Category: Jam/Progressive

  • Interview: NYS Music Talks moe.down, Jam Cruise with moe. Drummer Vinnie Amico

    moe. drummer Vinnie Amico took some time out before a recent show at the Hollow in Albany with Floodwood and Gratefully Yours for an interview with NYS Music’s Neil Benjamin Jr.

    Vin gave some answers about the future of moe.down (spoiler alert: It’s not dead!). He also discussed moe.’s just-announced Jam Cruise appearance, the Floodwood lineup change, his history of playing the Grateful Dead, his many sit-ins, his degree in economics, and plenty more!

  • Twiddle Impresses in Plumpty Dumpty Tour Finale in Ithaca

    It had been a decade since I’d been to Ithaca. The final show of Twiddle‘s Plumpty Dumpty tour was more than enough reason to make the drive from Buffalo. I’m sure glad I did.

    Plumpty Dumpty TourIt was my first time being at The Haunt. It’s a great intimate venue. The security and staff there were nothing but “frendly” and helpful. The Haunt is historic in its own right. Seeing some of the bands pictures hung on the wall it just felt right that Twiddle was closing their spring tour there.

    Space Carnival opened up the night. They brought high energy to the stage and the crowd loved it. Their final song for the night was a cover of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.” Keep an eye and an ear out for these up-and-comers.

    Twiddle opened  with a great “Polluted Beauty,” one of my favorite songs off their latest Plump Chapter 1. Some of the guys were not feeling 100 percent healthy after spending a month on the road but you couldn’t tell with the way they hit the stage.

    Mihali Sauvolidis took flight from the start, shredding apart the 20-minute “Polluted Beauty.” Twiddle is on fire right now. In my eyes the sky really is the limit for these guys.

    My favorite part of the night was hearing the instrumental “Wasabi Eruption” > “The Box.” The set list for the night was very plump with Plump. We look forward to what Twiddle has in store with Plump Chapter 2.

    Twiddle ended the night with the crowd-pleaser “Lost In The Cold.” All in all it was a beautiful night. The crowd was nothing but friendly, especially to my pregnant girlfriend. With this upward trajectory, don’t expect to see Twiddle playing at such intimate venues for much longer.

    Next up for Twiddle is their May 7 date at the historic The Capitol Theater in Port Chester. If you are planning on attending, get your tickets soon. It will sell out.

    Space Carnival: Rango >Regal Krad , Entree The Giant, Pilb, Uh Oh, I slipped My Disco, Cyberia, Moon Boots, All Night Long (Lionel Richie cover)

    Twiddle: Polluted Beauty, Wasabi Eruption> The Box, Syncopated Healing, Amydst The Midst, White Light
    Encore : Lost In The Cold

    Setlist provided by uTwiddle

  • Talking Bernie & 4/20

    We sit around in the green room at The Hollow in Albany, NY, listening to the muffled sounds of Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets play their opening set of the 4/20 Party above us.  From my left to my right sit Formula 5’s Joe Davis (guitar, vocals), Matt Richards (keys, synth, vocals), and James Woods (bass).  They’re a great group of guys who have an incredible rapport, making fun of one another and seldom not laughing or smiling.  It’s no wonder they have a symbiotic stage presence and ability to make the music talk to the crowd.

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    We start talking about the fact that they are playing their first official 4/20 party and what kind of importance the day has.  Aside from the obvious sociopolitical talking points and stoner jokes, Joe quickly says, “It’s just another day,” which receives instant consensus from his bandmates.  They talk about how the day does mean a lot to many people and it’s a great opportunity to play a show on a day that’s so widely celebrated.

    Formula 5 is no stranger to playing in front of large crowds during massive celebrations.  The Monday before, they played in front of 4,000 people at the Albany Rally for Bernie Sanders, at which the 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate gave an invigorating and inspiring speech.  When asked about their individual experiences they all gave answers filled with excitement and pride, reflecting on a day that they really didn’t see coming.

    Matt’s friend, Brian Maier, organized the rally and invited Formula 5 to be the musical act to support Bernie.  Since the event was planned and announced in short order, the band found out only two days before, on Saturday.  “It all happened really quickly,” said Woods.  “Matt let us know (Saturday night) that [the rally] was Monday morning.”

    Load-in was Sunday night and first set started at 11 AM on Monday.  It was an experience few bands ever get; organizing with Secret Service, playing for a large room where people attending were there for something other than music, and the intensity of meeting one of the most popular Presidential candidates in the history of the US.

    “It was a sweet experience for us,” said Joe.  “I had never been to a political rally or anything like that before.  To go to one in my hometown and to be a part of it was pretty sweet.”  He went on to talk about how, contrary to what he thought an event like that might be like, the energy was very high and attributed it to Bernie’s ability to really get a crowd excited about changing the country for the better.

    Matt added that their exposure as a band has grown quite tremendously since being able to support Bernie Sanders at his rally.  Playing for 4,000 people and getting publicly thanked by Bernie at the commencement of his speech has boosted their social media support by the hundreds and grew their video exposure by the thousands.  “It was a very surreal experience playing to that many people,” he said.  “It was very different from any show we’ve ever played; not just the experience, but the atmosphere itself.”

    Being entertainment for the day, while not being the main attraction, along with the typical club security experience being replaced by Secret Service police officers made for a truly unique adventure.  Matt was probably the most excited to talk about dealing with the Secret Service.  “It was kind of cool just being backstage in an area where no one is allowed to be,” which is quite different from even the most strict security at the green room door.  Matt continued to boast about Secret Service commanding him that he wasn’t allowed to be backstage and being able to reply, “No, I can. I actually can. I’m in the band.”

    Even with Matt’s ability to tell those federal police officers what was what, they still had to follow strict protocol, especially when getting to meet Bernie after his speech was done.  They were guided in very structured fashion to what they called, in unison, the “safe room.”

    After we wrapped up our conversation they took the stage.  They instantly galvanized the crowd by opening up with a flow of “Q&A” into Phish’s “Makisupa Policeman,” followed by “Pokeman Battle Theme” and then back into “Q&A.”  For a relatively young band Formula 5 has an ability to act as one musical organism as if their 4 years was more like 14.  They paid homage to the day of celebration by playing “Low Rider,” featuring Mister F’s Scott Hannay on synth, as well as laying down a crowd favorite “Legalize It” jam.

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    If you didn’t get a chance to see this 4/20 show, don’t fret.  The momentum of Formula 5’s schedule won’t be stifled any time soon.  Their summer is filled with great shows and festivals, some of which they couldn’t even share because of impending announcements.  Their announced festival billings include Disc Jam and Ohana Music and Art Festival.  They also have some exciting shows coming up including a few with Dude of Life, Steve Pollak, and his band, Fluid Druids. Keep an eye on Formula 5’s Facebook page and website to keep track of updates to their growing summer schedule.

  • The New Mastersounds Return to Brooklyn Bowl

    The New Mastersounds’ extensive U.S. tour is under way with the first of three concerts at the Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday, coming after a quick appearance at Wannee Festival. Opening a three-night residency on a Thursday gave fans a unique opportunity to see a band deliver a compelling show to a small weeknight crowd while also gearing up for the rest of a big weekend. The jazz-funk quartet from Leeds, UK, was supported by Brooklyn’s own Moon Hooch.tkenna_newmastersounds_bkbowl_35

    Moon Hooch put on an opening performance that was brimming with creativity and authenticity. Their music is a sort of new wave-influenced EDM brought to life with an arsenal of carefully selected acoustic and electronic instruments. The HN3A8280compositions are rooted in tight dance rhythms precisely metered out by drummer James Muschler. Mike Wilbur’s saxophone melodies typically take the lead while Wenzl McGowen produces womping bass lines using anything from a contrabass clarinet to a baritone sax to a woodwind MIDI controller. Song arrangements did vary in surprising ways, though, such as when
    Muschler sat down on the floor of the stage to provide some excellent tabla playing or when Wilbur delivered a dope rap verse. All three members of the trio proved themselves to be versatile and cleverly skilled. Moon Hooch’s set had a spiritual undertone throughout, made explicit at times by slowed down samples of Alan Watts and McGowen’s closing remarks about imaginal cells, which turn caterpillars into butterflies.

    The New Mastersounds kicked off their set with characteristic pep and never slowed down for a second. Their brand of bouncy, uptempo jazz riffing was infectious and immutable. Drummer Simon Allen propelled the band with giddy enthusiasm. Bassist Pete Shand was an endless fountain of rhythmic momentum and complex harmony. Some of the most ebullient soloing came from keyboardist Joe Tatton’s organ. Guitarist and bandleader Eddie Roberts defined the character of each tune with a steady cascade of jazz-funk techniques. The set consisted pretty much entirely of cheery, major key groovers. Whatever it may have lacked in emotional range, it more than made up for in intensity. The buzz that the band created was one of pure joy and vigor. Even as the Thursday night crowd began to thin towards the end of the performance, the remaining audience was huddled in front of the stage, soaking in every moment of what came to feel like a very intimate musical experience. The band seemed to be projecting a humble appreciation for the setting and to be gearing up for the remaining shows on Friday and Saturday. These weekend shows are likely to see larger turnout and even more fiery performances from The New Mastersounds.

  • Turkuaz Ends Sold Out 3 Night Run at Brooklyn Bowl

    On Saturday April 9,  Brooklyn’s own Turkuaz closed out their three-night run to a sold out crowd at Brooklyn Bowl.

    After the opening band, Sidewalk Chalk, began heating up the room to a simmer, Turkuaz brought the crowd to full on boil with their opening song “Lika” from their 2015 Digitonium release. Next up was “Chatte Lunatique” off of the Zerbert album, which had the crowd, brass section and backup vocalists bopping up and down in synch. Each band member sported their own signature, color-coded Members Only jacket on stage, reminiscent of a funky bag of Skittles that had somehow taken human form and hypnotized the Brooklyn Bowl. By the fourth song, and their first cover, Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’” everyone from the back bar to the front of stage could taste the rainbow as the classic soul tune raged on.

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    The band took a minute to wipe the sweat from their faces before tackling “Lift It Up” into their most listened-to Spotify tune, “Bubba Slide,” off the Future 86 album. “Who were you two days ago/I’ll be damned if you should know,” are the opening lyrics to “Bubba” and on the third night of transformational Brooklyn run, the words took on a different meaning. There was a feeling in the room that something special was happening. We were witnessing a new brand of funk while simultaneously time-traveling to the golden age of the genre.

    The 9-piece jammed on with a few more originals before capping off the first set with their second cover of the night, “I’ve Got a Feeling” by a band founded far away from Williamsburg, The Beatles. Just before the tkenna_turkuaz_bkbowlN3_024cover began, the audience started to thin out for a fresh beer or cigarette during what was sure to be the break of an already stellar set until they heard the opening riff to this Let it Be classic. People began sprinting back inside to be part of the action and as the cigarette flames were extinguished outside, a new fire started within. Since the last time Turkuaz ignited the Brooklyn Bowl flame in 2015, the band’s sound has evolved through hard work, relentless touring and attention to their craft. Ask any die-hard Turkuaz fan and they will tell you that the band gets better every time you see them in Brooklyn. Smiles covered the group’s faces as they proudly sang the symbolic lyrics “Everybody had a good year, everybody let their hair down, everybody pulled their socks up, everybody put their foot down.” Oh, yeah!

    Set two’s energy picked off right where the first left off as Taylor Shell’s bass pumped out an extra groove-able intro to the Digitonium tune, “Doktor Jazz.” As if the band wasn’t hot enough on their own, they called tkenna_turkuaz_bkbowlN3_021upon James Casey (Trey Anastasio Band) and his saxophone wizardry to add some gasoline to the blaze. The band was just getting started as Casey exited the stage after a short lived, but memorable sit-in. The crowd appeared to have stretched their legs during set break as they put on an all-out dance clinic during the sexy “Desert Island,” “Coast to Coast,” “E.Y.E. (Lookin’ Good)” threesome of originals.

    An extended version of “Tired of Talkin’” led the band to show the heavily-breathing crowd mercy after “Digital Love” to cool things down for a moment, well, slightly. As the second set was coming to a close each tkenna_turkuaz_bkbowlN2_036member was placed under the spotlight during “Gogo, Mr. Dodo,” but especially Shira Elias, who was dressed like a feminine synth pop version of the yellow Power Ranger. She definitely took lead on this second-set highlight as she shook the Brooklyn Bowl with her soulful pipes.

    As Sunday morning was officially upon us, the band came out to cover one more song, The Talking Heads, “Take Me To The River.” Since the early days of Turkuaz, it has been no secret that the Heads have been one of the main influences from their tongue-in-cheek lyrics to their strange attire and genre melting sound. “Take Me To The River” may be one of the most covered and influential songs on the jam-band or funk circuit in the past 40 years and this group absolutely nailed their take on the Al Green penned piece. The climax came after the band collectively dropped the crowd into the funky waters of the venue.

    Hours after the show ended the caption on the Turkuaz Facebook page reads, “This was truly one of the most special weekends we’ve experienced as a band.” After that power-funk spectacle, it is safe to say that the growing fan base had a pretty special weekend as well.

  • Miles Deep: Lucid Bids Farewell

    Before I could even step inside I was already spotted. Walking down Brinkerhoff Street in downtown Plattsburgh on a Saturday evening, the bright lights of the newly reopened Strand Theatre could be seen for several blocks. And as I rounded the corner and approached this beacon of culture for the Lake City, numerous familiar faces turned towards me, smiled and ran over to say hello.

    It sure had been a long time. And yet, it all felt like one gigantic moment, hung proudly on the mantle of my soul. Standing in front of the theatre, the sounds of legendary North Country rock act Lucid spilled out onto the streets — echoing across the deep waters of nearby Lake Champlain and pushing up in the heavens, ultimately swirling around the ancient Adirondack Mountains to the west. For the last 14 years, their melodies have been the soundtrack of the Champlain Valley and beyond, and now, it was time to put the record on pause with the recent announcement of their hiatus.And yet, the irony lay right at the start of the evening. You see, for as long as Lucid has been together, the Strand Theatre has been under renovation, a longtime storied venue whose rejuvenation rolled along at such a slow burn, one wondered if the embers were just some glowing mirage we’d only hoped for in dreams.

    Lucid bids FarewellWandering into the large building, hundreds of glorious beings milled about, most of which standing like a rippling ocean of rhythmic movement at the base of stage. And just as stood there in awe of the spectacle, you heard a noise above you and looked up, only to realize there was a full balcony of music freaks overhead. Sure, there were two full sets of music, roaring like a freight train across the spectrum of the band’s career, making musical stops ranging from reggae to hip- hop, gypsy to nitty-gritty blues. And yes, it a performance that sent a chill through your body, where you raised your arm and could see the goose bumps emerge. But, that wasn’t what the evening was about, at least for those in the band and their inner circle.

    Lucid is (was) about creating a space for all walks of life to converge. It was a scene that was created to foster change, understanding, and happiness. It was about pulling into some random North Country town and showing them just how beautiful and mesmerizing the circus can be. It was about you, and me, and all of us. The power of their music, and their presence, is what was at the core of Lucid. They preached love, personal growth, and the joyous possibilities of humanity, where you can wake up everyday and conquer the world with your positive intent and bright light radiating from within.

    Lucid bids FarewellAnd as I stood there on the side stage, watching my musical brothers take their final encore for may be awhile, I was struck by how loud the standing ovation was from the enormous crowd. It wasn’t surprising, it was more so awe-inspiring, this never-ending roundabout circle of passion and energy shooting back and forth between the band and the audience — the essence of what music is, always and forever. Lucid chose “Whiskey Dreams” for their encore, a song whose word ricocheted around the depths of my heart when the lyric “we are them, and they are us…” catapulted out of the speakers, tying a bow on a career that, to at least myself, still
    has a few chapters left to write.

    Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

    Set 1: Suenos Intro Mind Trippin Four Winds>Gemini Eye* Boats Ancient Incantations Green Money Whoa Mamma$ Rainbow* San Pedro^ Po Man’s Blues^ Miles Deep Pushin Dirt

    Set 2: Black Smoke Blessed and Cursed Ground on Up Tight Tight Body in Free*% Psychedelic Bad Habit Break a Man* Lucky Dice Came and Went>Silhouettes Styles of the Smooth Backwoods^

    Encore: Whiskey Dreams$

    * – Meadow Eliz
    $ – Chris English
    ^ – George Wurster
    % – Catherine Wurster & Shannon Rigsby

    Lucid bids Farewell

  • Holly Bowling Announces Spring Tour, New Short Film

    Classical pianist Holly Bowling has captivated audiences over the past few years with her solo interpretations of Phish and others on piano. This spring, she will hit the road again to share her music with crowds from New Orleans all the way to Vermont (with New York in the middle, of course).

    Although her pre-Twiddle party show at Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre has already sold out, tickets for her other shows are still available. See the full list of tour dates below; tickets for these shows can be found on Bowling’s Bandisintown page.

    Holly Bowling Short Film

    Holly Bowling is also the subject of a new short film, “Holly Bowling – Distilling a Dream,” which was recently released on YouTube by its filmmakers, Chris Weaver and Paul Camarata.

    Weaver and Camarata state in a press release:

    Our film “DISTILLING A DREAM” features the music of Phish ; a new interview with Royal Potato Family recording artist Marco Benevento ; and exclusive footage of Holly’s first ever East Coast tour date last August in Philadelphia – which Phish bassist Mike Gordon attended ; all in a story that reveals how this budding star has transformed her dream into reality.

    Tour dates:

    April 24 – Hidden Gems Showcase: JazzFest 2016 – New Orleans, LA
    April 26  Amy Winehouse, The Band & Phish Tribute – New Orleans, LA
    May 4 – The Pittsburgh Winery – Pittsburgh, PA
    May 5 – River Street Jazz Cafe – Wilkes-Barre, PA
    May 6 – The Paramount Theatre Backstage – Asbury Park, NJ
    May 7 – Twiddle Pre-Party at Garcia’s – Port Chester, NY (SOLD OUT)
    May 8 – The Lily Pad – Cambridge, MA
    May 9 – Starlite Gallery – Southbridge, MA
    May 11 – Higher Ground Showcase Lounge – South Burlington, VT
    May 12 – Massry Center for the Arts – Albany, NY (Presented by NYS Music)
    May 13 – THE BLUE NOTE – New York, NY
    May 14 – The Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
    May 15 – A Special Living Room show – Buffalo, NY
    May 16 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH

  • Turkuaz and lespecial Funk It Up Night Two at Brooklyn Bowl

    Turkuaz continued their 2016 Digitonium Tour with a 3 night run at Brooklyn Bowl, featuring lespecial for their second night. If any NY funk lovers were looking for something to do for 3 days in April, this was it.

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    lespecial opened the night of groovy dancing and brought a lighter, funkier version of their death-funk/future-groove with some staples from Omnisquid such as “Fruit Wolf Dance”, “Sugaboi”, and “Pressed For Time”tkenna_lespecial_bkbowl_020 (guitarist/vocalist Gruskauskas’ vocal range truly shines on this track). The trio from Boston also featured classic cover of Les Claypool’s “My Name is Mud”, some new music in collaboration with some Turkuaz members and even a cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews, lespecial is truly one of my favorite bands to experience live as their genre-bending capabilities are unmatched!

    Succeeding their funk-band-in-arms, Turkuaz took the stage and opened with a fitting “Introduction” from their recent album, Digitonium. Following a strong intro, a very funked up “The Rules” from the 2011 album Zerbert , had the crowd dancing and bopping from the floor to the bowling lanes. It was at this moment I realized what I had been missing; Turkuaz truly brings the funk and I had seen the light in only their second song of the night. Each piece of the band plays a very integral part as each member not only brings their extreme talent to each instrument and vocal aspect but also their own unique style. Some favorites from the night included “The Generator” and “King Computer” from Digitonium and “Tip Toe Through the Crypto” and “It’s So Hard” from the Stereochrome EP.

    Turkuaz’s second set was very special as they dedicated the entirety of it to The Band. They opened with a very funky “Chest Fever” followed by an affectionately soulful “Ophelia” and then an extremely heartfelt “The Night They Drove Dixie Down.” “Up On Cripple Creek” seems to have been made for them to cover as they certainly shined in all aspects whilst rocking the track. Naturally, during “The Weight”, a beautiful sing-a-long manifested from the crowd and a very dancey “Don’t Do It” got everyone moving and shaking. Closing out with a fervent and almost spiritual “I Shall Be Released” it’s an understatement to say that Turkuaz did these anthems justice; they put their all into every track and made each one a unique experience. Turkuaz is an amazing spectacle of talent, color and funk. If you consider yourself a fan of live music and have not experienced a Turkuaz show, you’re doing yourself an injustice.

  • Widespread Panic to Stop Touring

    Widespread Panic will stop touring following a New Year’s Eve show at the end of 2016.

    Widespread Panic, who celebrates 30 years together as a band this year, have decided that after this year, they will no longer tour. Fans will be happy to know that they still intend to play short runs like their famed Red Rocks run, and festivals like the New Orleans Jazz Fest, but will no longer go off on extensive tours.

    Speaking with Jackson, Mississippi’s Clarion-Ledger, Jo Jo Hermann, the band’s keyboardist, said “We’re really wearing it out this year because we’re basically going to call it touring-wise after this year; we’re not going to tour anymore.” He made sure to emphasize that the band is not retiring or breaking up. “We’re still all brothers and still going to play together. … It is really not that big of a deal, I don’t think.”

    Widespread Panic is currently in the middle of their spring tour, which takes them through the South and Midwest, ending with a sold-out three-night run in Chicago May 5 to 7. Following about a month off, they head back out on a 20-night summer tour, which kicks off June 17 in Rogers, Arkansas and includes a sold-out three-night run at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado June 24 to 26 and three nights in Las Vegas July 8 to 10 before closing out in Los Angeles on July 16. Tickets for many of their shows are still available. They have no further dates scheduled, but have hinted at a New Year’s Eve show.

  • Cousin Fungus Wows the Crowd at Finley’s of Greene Street

    On April 2, Finley’s of Greene Street in Huntington, NY was treated to a performance by Long Island based band Cousin Fungus. The bar was packed and the dance floor full as Cousin Fungus took the stage after the cover band Run for Covers.

    cousin fungus Finley'sAll the way in the back of the bar with an open overhead garage door, the stage set-up at Finley’s made it feel as though Cousin Fungus was performing in their own driveway. As the music started the crowd edged its way forward toward the long-time devotees already lining the front of the stage. The set list consisted of fan favorites Other People, Earth Turns, and Find Your Pipe along with unique jam style cover versions of the Traffic instrumental Glad and Grand Funk Railroad’s I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home.) The first song, Fanfare for the Common Man, was played in homage to the late Keith Emerson from the Emerson Lake and Palmer Band and two new original songs. Birthday was introduced following a special celebratory birthday shout-out to a fan and the show closed with their latest and greatest, Caravan.

    Throughout the show heads bobbed and the dancing intensified with each crescendo. It was evident that the band was feeding off the effervescent energy of the crowd. Dennis sang with style as he passionately pounded the keys and Henry and Thomas grooved to the music flowing from their guitar and bass. Although Chris was hidden behind his drum kit at the back of the stage, his ever present and integral beats were “visible” during each and every song. The boys were in constant communication with each other as they flowed from song to song with smiles on their faces!

    Customers come to Finley’s for fun and fellowship, and of course its large selection of craft beers. Cousin Fungus fans come from near and far to hear amazing music with great friends. This particular night the crowd got it all – Finley’s definitely delivered as promised!

    cousin fungus Finley's*Who is Cousin Fungus??

    A Long Island based band that hails from Port Washington, NY the journey of Cousin Fungus began in the early 90’s as a Phish cover band called Stash. Made up of brothers Henry, Christian, and Thomas Stanziale on guitar, bass, and drums respectively, along with friends Gary Menkes on keys and Billy Zweirlein on vocals their first performance took place in the summer of 1993 and they continued to play weekly in Port Washington. In the fall of 1993, Dennis Belline made an appearance with the band on keys, and when Gary moved off of Long Island Dennis became an official member. The band played all throughout the Northeast building a fan base now spreading from Long Island to Syracuse, NY. In late 1996 they debuted their first original song Rejhi and by the summer of 1997 they were playing mainly original songs. In April 1997, while performing at Hungry Charlie’s near Syracuse University the band was surprised when Jon Fishman walked into the bar. They invited him to the stage where he jammed out with them for the Phish classics Wilson, Funky Bitch, Rocky Top, NICU, and Slave to the Traffic Light. He returned to the stage for the encore drumming to Stash’s rendition of Derek and the Dominos Love So Sad. In October 1997, as the band focus moved toward solely original songs Stash changed its name to St. Ash. In March 1998 Billy Zwerlein left St. Ash and in May 1998 with Dennis now on lead vocals they renamed themselves Cousin Fungus, after a lyric from the song Low Tide High, and recorded their first album Thoughts of a Moth, which was released in the fall of 1998.

    The fan base continued to grow throughout the Northeast and eventually expanded into the Mid-Atlantic. Cousin Fungus had intentions to get back into the recording studio in late 2000 but the album was delayed when Dennis Belline made the decision to leave the band. The Stanziale brothers continued to play as a threesome and in spring of 2001 Mike Sanchez joined Cousin Fungus on guitar and vocals. In 2002 they hit the studio with Mike to record Share the Air, which was released in December of the same year. In 2003 Cousin Fungus welcomed new keyboardist, Mike Sydor, and two months later Mike Sanchez moved on in his pursuits. They continued their musical career as a 4-piece band until their last show together in December 2004.

    Since 2005, with over a decade of performing, the original members of the band reconnected for surprise shows all over Long Island. Thomas, Henry, Chris, and Dennis revived Cousin Fungus in 2012 when they returned to the Long Island music scene playing sporadic shows throughout the year. Cousin Fungus has been exciting its loyal fan base with more regular performances in the last 3 years, even performing at private parties. To the delight of fans, Billy has made a few surprise appearances on vocals.

    Since 2012 Cousin Fungus has performed all over Long Island…and beyond. The band is hard at work writing original songs to add to its repertoire and new shows are announced every few months.

    Cousin Fungus never lets down its fans. Friends and family can be seen at every show and a new generation of fans is evolving, to include the children of each band member! As the Cousin Fungus family continues to grow, old and new fans alike can be found dancing and singing along to each and every song. Definitely take a listen to Thoughts of a Moth and Share the Air and be sure to check the CF Facebook page for show announcements. Get out to a local show and experience all that is Cousin Fungus – you won’t regret it!

    Set List – CF Finley’s Greene Street 4/2/16 :

    Fanfare, Photo’s, Other People, Glad, Find Your Pipe, Birthday, I’m Your Captain (Closer to home), Caravan

    Full Show Audio: Recorded by Patrick Kelly.

    EARTH TURNS: Video Recorded by Henry Stanziale

    GLAD: Video Recorded by Henry Stanziale


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